A federal grand jury in Del Rio has indicted 11 people for their alleged roles in a human smuggling scheme that led to the deaths of seven individuals found in a shipping container earlier this year.
The defendants are accused of operating an organization that used cargo trains to transport people illegally into the United States from Mexico.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, the group charged victims and their families between $1,500 and $10,000 for transport.
The indictment names 11 defendants, including Karina Garcia, Edson Alejandro Perez, Seferino Huerta-Casillas, Jonas Ulloa-Aguilera, Mayra Alejandra Huerta, and Maria Norma Neri de Moran.
Also charged are Damian Huerta Analucas, Rosario Cristal Lopez-Saldana, Eric Hernandez, Franklin Williams Ayala Aguilera, and Pascual Raymundo Loarca.
Prosecutors allege that in late April, the group facilitated the movement of seven people from Acuña, Mexico, into the Del Rio area.
On May 9, smugglers allegedly used red bolt cutters to break the lock of a Conex shipping container before loading the victims inside.
The container was stacked on top of another and lacked any cooling or ventilation systems.
Outside temperatures that day reportedly climbed between 88 and 92 degrees Fahrenheit.
Among those trapped inside the windowless metal box was a 14-year-old child.
The train eventually moved from Del Rio toward San Antonio, where smugglers discovered the victims were in grave peril upon opening the door.
According to the indictment, the smugglers fled the scene and left one deceased victim near the railroad tracks in San Antonio.
The train continued its journey south to Laredo, where the grim discovery was finally made by a rail yard worker.
A Union Pacific employee reported seeing a human leg protruding from the container.
Law enforcement officials confirmed that four of the deceased were Mexican nationals and three were from Honduras.
Investigators revealed that at least one victim sent a desperate message to a loved one while pleading for help from inside the sweltering container.
The Homeland Security Task Force led the investigation as part of a broader initiative targeting transnational criminal organizations.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons announced the charges following a multi-day operation across Texas.
Describing the mission of the multi-agency effort, officials emphasized that the task force “directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations”.
Each of the 11 defendants faces charges of conspiracy to transport illegal aliens resulting in death and aiding and abetting such transport.
If convicted, the individuals could face a maximum penalty of life in prison.
The Office of Public Affairs underscored the legal standard for the accused, noting that “all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law”.